Update: 14/10/2024
A debate called by the Tories regarding this is due to be held tonight. Watch here.
In a breathtaking display of sheer arrogance and frightening lack of accountability, Labour have decided to sneak through the opening of the Marmion House front desk at huge expense to the Tamworth tax payer. All because, some would say, one Councillor i.e Marion Couchman, cannot walk down to the Town Hall due to disability and feeling ‘unsafe’ in doing so (yes she really said that dear reader, Tamworth is apparently unsafe according to her).
Earlier in the year, a Tory motion was agreed with by the Labour group at a meeting of the Full Council that front desk services would not reopen at Marmion House. Just a few months later, Labour don’t extend even the same courtesy to the Tories who they spouted bullshit about working with in their first weeks of power. They’ve gone ahead and done it the cowards way, by pushing it through the Council’s executive cabinet. They’ve done this simply because it would not get the same attention as it would if it had gone through Full Council, and simply because they’re arrogant enough to do this knowing full well they’d be roasted by everyone else including Councillor Richard Kingstone who also believes that this whole decision is wrong.
What Labour have done in a nutshell is waste circa £900,000 on reopening the Marmion House offices, a crumbling building set for disposal to save around £3.5m a year. They’re doing this by outfitting the Council chamber with a new 9k audio visual system, for the handful of people who watch the meetings, and because the public seating gallery has more seats for the 1 or 2 people who generally turn up to watch (unless a group have got themselves in a tizz about a planning application). They’ve also got to give the old reception a tart up. There’s a lot more being spent to make that 900k figure, which is mostly being stolen from the fund the Tories set aside to invest in and protect Tamworth Town Hall, a building many people would say deserves it much more than Marmion House.
And Labours’ justification for doing this? People asked them for it on the door step. Supposedly. And they’ve repeated this message even in a very politically charged video (Facebook) released by Tamworth Borough Council media team introduced by the cocky and arrogant Councillor Lewis Smith who is ‘in charge’ of delivering this project (he’s not, he’s very much having his strings pulled since he’s incapable of even filling out his declarations of interest correctly) [Updated: We’ve heard that Lewis is Carol’s Nephew, can anyone confirm?]. Labour of course, don’t ask a straight question, and would never have told the unsuspecting residents on the doorstep exactly what they would be saying yes to in terms of cost and the implications of bringing Marmion House back into use. We suspect many would have said no without Labour misrepresenting the truth to them.
So it’s happening, and cowardly Labour wanted to avoid any wider public or political debate about it. The only place you will get to see and hear any debate or the solid reasons against this disgusting waste of taxpayer’s money is by watching the Corporate Scrutiny meeting held on the 5th September. If anyone needs any proof of the already out of control spend spend spend clueless Labour group whom it seems along with the rest of their vile government’s actions, shows they do not fall far from the tree, then this video should show you exactly what they’re like.
As it was pointed out in the meeting, with the corner for the Tories being fought by Councillors Sam Smith, Thomas Jay and Martin Summers, the Town Hall is perfectly adequate for use, being accessible, central, and with minor tweaks that had been planned, perfectly accommodating for continued use. Under the original plans a heritage building would have protective investment lavished on it and be used. It is feared that with meetings heading back to Marmion House it will be locked up and never used again. Councillor Carol Dean, leader of the Labour group, didn’t even know what would become of the building, shockingly deciding that the very much up in the air ideas they had ‘might not work’ despite being pointed out to that it’s not her money she’s frittering away. It was also pointed out fairly early on that the Councils own figures show (as we reported on previously) that the current front desk services for the council at the Assembly rooms are around 44 per month. The rather optimistic and one might say confounding effort to justify the reopening stated they estimate 200 enquiries per week at the newly reopened reception. Let’s also not forget that the reception at the Assembly rooms was only ever a temporary measure, a long temporary measure we grant you, but temporary before somewhere else sensible and permanent was found. It seems there were many many reasons not to to ahead with this, all of which fell on deaf arrogant ears.
If you listen further past the agenda item for the Marmion House reopening, where the Labour group present were whipped into submission to vote for it, you will hear something interesting. Councillor Summers pointed out that in the report giving an update on the Councils Information Technology strategy, there was mention that the Council Chamber at Marmion House ‘will’ be fitted with a new audio visual system, that the project had gone out for tender and would be implemented in November. This apparently was a ‘mistake’ to have the word ‘will’ in Councillor Deans report, but we don’t believe that for a moment given they put an actual date to it happening. So essentially, the reopening of Marmion House was never up for debate or challenge, it was happening anyway even before a legal decision was made to do it this week at Cabinet. We doubt even the wider Labour group knew what was happening, but they’re being told to stick their hands up and do what they’re told. And at what cost to the tax payers of Tamworth? Nearly a million quid, on its buts and maybes. Apparently you wanted it though Tamworth…
